Soldier to Garden City is 326 miles and takes about 6h 28m via US 56 and the Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway, with a fuel budget near $50 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This trip stays within Kansas, moving from the Great Plains region in the east to the Great Plains in the west. It's a straightforward drive for a single day, mostly on highways, making it a practical option if you need to cover ground efficiently. Expect a consistent driving experience across the state.
Trip Pace
Same-day drive is realistic
A same-day return is possible, but it will make for a full day on the road.
Break Rhythm
1 planned break
Plan on a short reset every 3 to 4 hours to stay fresh behind the wheel.
Midpoint
163 miles from Soldier, KS
A natural place for your longest stop of the day
, about 3h 7m into the drive
.
Main Roads
Road
Distance
Duration
US 56
121 mi
2h 26m
KS 156
51.8 mi
1h 2m
Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway
49.4 mi
49m
KS 16
27.9 mi
35m
Truman/Eisenhower Presidential Highway
27.7 mi
27m
K-13
14.6 mi
18m
Fort Riley Boulevard
11.1 mi
12m
230 Road
6 mi
7m
Longest stretch:
US 56
— 121 mi, about 2h 26m
Traffic on I-70
Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 4 FHWA count stations on your route.
Peak
4 PM
~737 veh/hr typical
· worst 953
Quietest
1 AM
~65 veh/hr
Peak-to-quiet ratio
11.3×
busier at peak than in the quiet hours
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Averaged across 52 weeks of 2023 FHWA Travel Monitoring Analysis System data. Weekday hours only (Mon–Fri).
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Soldier, KS and Garden City, KS.
1
Start on Jackson Street
397 ft·7 sec·Jackson Street
2
Turn slight right onto KS 62
0.2 mi·22 sec·1st Street
3
Continue on KS 62
4.8 mi·8 min·E Road
4
Turn right onto KS 16
6.0 mi·7 min·230 Road
5
Turn right onto KS 63
1.0 mi·1 min·State Highway 63
6
Turn left onto KS 16
19 mi·25 min·KS 16
7
At end of road, turn left onto KS 16; KS 99
0.4 mi·31 sec·KS 16; KS 99
8
Turn right onto KS 16
8.2 mi·9 min·KS 16
9
Continue on K-13
15 mi·18 min·K-13
10
Enter roundabout onto US 24
90 ft·1 sec·Tuttle Creek Boulevard
11
Continue on US 24
0.9 mi·1 min·Tuttle Creek Boulevard
12
Enter roundabout onto K-113
322 ft·3 sec·North Seth Child Road
13
Continue on K-113
5.5 mi·8 min·North Seth Child Road
Use the left lane.
14
Take the ramp
0.2 mi·27 sec
Toward KS 18 West: Fort Riley Boulevard WestUse the right lane.
With a 6.5-hour estimated drive time, leaving Soldier in the morning allows you to reach Garden City well before evening. The single recommended stop suggests you can break up the 121-mile stretch on US 56 for fuel or a quick break. Keep an eye on your fuel levels, especially in the more rural sections between towns. Since this is a one-day drive, you have flexibility in your departure time, but an early start will make for a more relaxed trip.
Morning Departure
Start early — leave by 6-7 AM to arrive at a reasonable hour.
Evening Departure
This is a long drive — plan for a morning departure or consider splitting it into two days.
You can normally do this drive in one day.
Plan roughly 1 meaningful break for fuel, food, and rest.
The halfway point lands around 163 miles from Soldier, KS, or about 3h 7m into the drive.
The longest continuous stretch on this route runs about 121 miles.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
Departure
Before you leave
Start with fuel, water, and navigation already sorted so the first hour feels easy.
First stop
Around 72 miles or 1h 33m in
Use this first pause for coffee, a restroom break, and a quick traffic check ahead.
Halfway reset
Around 163 miles or 3h 7m in
This is the best place for your longest stop, a real meal, and a full fuel check.
Final approach
Final hour starts around 5h 16m
Traffic, exits, and arrival timing usually matter more near Garden City, KS than in the middle of the route.
Before You Leave
+
Open the route before leaving Soldier, KS so your first major turns are already loaded.
+
Leave with enough water and a charging cable within reach, not packed away.
+
Check your fuel range against the first long segment, especially if you are starting outside city service areas.
Day 1
Settle into the route from Soldier, KS
This is one driving day of about 326 miles and 6h 28m.
Your first comfortable stop window is around 72 miles from Soldier, KS.
This route can stay practical as a one-day drive if traffic stays reasonable.
Plan about 1 real break rather than only quick fuel stops.
The longest stretch is on US 56 for about 121 miles.
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Place data sourced from public business listings. Hours and availability may vary.
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 20
5 decision points cluster between mile 31.5 and 149.8 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
31.5 mi into trip|~43m in|KS 16; KS 99
At end of road, turn left onto KS 16; KS 99
Navigation decision point
5
61.1 mi into trip|~1h 20m in
Take the ramp toward KS 18 West: Fort Riley Boulevard West
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
Toward KS 18 West: Fort Riley Boulevard West
5
72.4 mi into trip|~1h 33m in|KS 18
Take the exit onto KS 18 toward I-70 West, Salina
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Toward I-70 West, Salina
5
72.7 mi into trip|~1h 34m in|I 70; US 40; KS 18 / Truman/Eisenhower Presidential Highway
Merge onto I 70; US 40; KS 18 / Truman/Eisenhower Presidential Highway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
5
149.8 mi into trip|~2h 51m in
Take the exit toward KS 156, Ellsworth, Great Bend
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Toward KS 156, Ellsworth, Great Bend
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$48.14 one way
$96.29 round trip
$3.75/gal25.4 MPG avg114 kg CO2
Fuel Type
$/gal
One Way
Round Trip
midgrade
$4.14
$53.15
$106.30
premium
$4.72
$60.53
$121.06
diesel
$4.80
$61.55
$123.11
No toll roads detected on this route.
Estimated Trip Cost (one way, 1 person)
Fuel
$48
Meals
$25–$50
Total
$73–$98
Rough estimate based on US averages. Hotel $80–$140/night, meals $25–$50/day.
Estimated CO2 emission: 114.1 kg one way.
Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-07-13.
Driving Electric?
About $34 in charging
· 1 stop
· 67% less CO2
Vehicle Type
kWh
Stops
DC Fast
Home Charge
Average EV
97.8
1
$34.23
$15.65
Efficient EV
81.5
0
$28.53
$13.04
EV Truck/SUV
130.4
1
$45.64
$20.86
Gas CO2
114 kg
EV CO2
38 kg (67% less)
Plan for 1 charging stop. A 30-minute DC fast charge mid-route should be enough to complete the trip comfortably.
DC fast charging avg $0.35/kWh. Home charging avg $0.16/kWh. US grid CO2: 0.39 kg/kWh.
Travel Intel
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Forecast as of Jul 17, 2026
Origin
Soldier, KS
Evening
in Soldier on Saturday
Local time
8:21 PM
CDT
Current temp
90°F
Mostly Sunny then Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms
SW 5 to 10 mph17% chanceLive forecast
Destination
Garden City, KS
Evening
in Garden City on Saturday
Local time
8:21 PM
CDT
Current temp
91°F
Sunny
SSE 9 mph0% chanceLive forecast
Seasonal Notes
Summer travel usually means heavier construction, hotter rest stops, and busier weekend traffic around major cities.
Winter travel shortens daylight, so a route that looks manageable on paper can feel much longer after dark.
Holiday weekends tend to make both departure and arrival windows slower than the raw route time suggests.
Time zone
Same local time
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
1 degrees warmer at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
6h 28m on the road
Start early — leave by 6-7 AM to arrive at a reasonable hour.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
More Details
What kind of drive is this?
You'll spend about 62% of this 326-mile drive on highways, with the Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway being a significant portion. The longest continuous stretch on a single road is 121 miles on US 56. After the highway segments, you'll transition to surface roads for the remainder of the trip. Given the profile, anticipate mostly rural cruising with fewer exits once you leave the main highways.
62% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
28 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 121 mi on US 56.
How Hard Is This Drive?
4/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on US 56 and KS 156. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes around 31.5 miles in near KS 16; KS 99.
Driving Effort4/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
The route itself is not hard, but at 6h 28m, endurance matters. Plan breaks every 2-3 hours. The 20 decision points are all manageable with basic attention.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 31.5 miles (KS 16; KS 99): Navigation decision point; at 61.1 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 72.4 miles (KS 18): Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Elevation Profile
Gently rolling terrain
2,839 ft1,068 ft
Total Climb
2,001 ft
Total Descent
384 ft
Highest Point
2,839 ft
~326 mi in
Elevation Range
1,772 ft
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Between Soldier, KS and Garden City, KS, road signs point toward Salina, Ellsworth and Great Bend.
The longest stretch is about 121 miles on US 56. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Yes — we found about 15 rest areas or service plazas within a short detour of the route (from OpenStreetMap). See the Rest Stops tab under Nearby Places for locations and mile markers. Plan to stretch, use the bathroom, and top off fluids every 2–3 hours on longer drives.
It helps. This is a long drive, so arriving tired and in the dark compounds. If the last hour of the trip is on surface roads or mountain grades, aim to arrive at Garden City, KS before sunset when you can. Check the Trip Plan for departure windows that land you in daylight.
Only with planning. This is a long drive for kids — consider splitting it into two days rather than pushing through. Plan at least 1 meaningful breaks. There are 15 rest areas along the route for bathroom stops.
The main spots that need attention: at 31.5 miles (KS 16; KS 99): Navigation decision point; at 61.1 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 72.4 miles (KS 18): Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Not recommended in a single day. At 6.5 hours each way, a round trip means 12.9 hours of driving — that is an unsafe level of fatigue for most drivers. Plan at least one night at Garden City, KS before the return drive.
